FPTP

First Past the postThe Advantages of the SystemAs far as electoral systems go, the First Past the Post system is relatively simple andeasy for voters to understand. It is also an inexpensive system to run and its simplicitymeans that a result can be produced fairly quickly. Since each constituency elects onlyone representative, that person is easily identified with a particular area and votersknow who to approach when they have a problem. The First Past the Post system tendsto lead to one party gaining a majority in the House of Commons and so voters knowwhich party will form the government and so what policies to expect.The Disadvantages of First Past the PostThe First Past the Post system is a far from perfect electoral system and, in fact, 5main disadvantages can be identified:1. Since the winning candidate needs only to secure a simple majority, it is possible thatmore people in total may have voted for other candidates than the winner.2. A party which regularly comes second or third in the constituency votes but that winsvery few outright can find themselves with a very high percentage of the total vote butrelatively few seats.3. It is theoretically possible that the party which forms the government may actuallyhave won fewer total votes that their nearest rival.4. Since there is no uniform number of voters in a constituency, the winner in a smallconstituency can have received fewer votes than the runner up in a larger constituency.5. A number of constituencies are considered `safe' for particular parties. In such cases,voters who do not support the dominant party may feel that there is no point voting atall.It is important to remember that all electoral systems have some disadvantages and inBritain, where tradition has dictated the use of the First Past the Post system, theadvantages of the current system are thought and estimated to outweigh thedisadvantages. Further, the `Alternative Vote' has, in my opinion, more negativeattributes than positive ones. Firstly, it does very little to give a voice to those whohave been traditionally underrepresented in parliament, and, whilst it does ensure thatthe successful candidate is supported by a majority of his or her constituents, it doesnot give proportionally to parties or other bodies of opinion. Finally, there is no transferof powers from party authority to the voters, and it does not produce a proportionalparliament.